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OnesToWatch: Talk to me about the influences for this EP, and what inspired you to create it.

KENNYHOOPLA: The influences for this project were everyone I listened to growing up that I loved – indie rock/indie pop; from bands like PHOENIX and Two Door Cinema Club to Miike Snow. It’s been me trying to be on the nose about my identity sonically – that’s what inspired me and influenced this project, being super obvious about it. It was important to try not to be too left field. 

What was the process like creating this EP?

The process of recording it was probably a year and a half. It officially started in the beginning of last fall. And it just started with me independently. I didn't really have anyone to work with in Wisconsin. It's hard to get people to take you seriously here in smaller towns, or on the other hand there's people trying to take advantage of you. It started with me writing songs, trying to learn how to be self-sufficient. And then eventually more people came into the picture – when it was crunch time, I met Zach from Paramore. He ended up taking “orphan” to the finish line with me. I met Mike in Nashville. I met a lot of these Nashville producers that were really ready to lock in when it really mattered. It got pushed to the limit as much as possible timewise because I was just figuring everything out. So many things were there. I've never really been in this position since before I had signed a record deal. So I would say a lot of it was hectic, me having to make quick decisions because a lot of people didn't have time. Like these producers, you know, they're a bit bigger where it's like, I only have like two days with Zach where I had to commit to something. But I think that's the beauty in it and that's something that I've been trying to practice, is just letting it flow through me because if I can let something be perfect, I will let it be perfect; and for this I had to let go. And what's more important than anything is just dropping music for the fans right now and all the people who have been there this long.

Let’s talk about structure. What was your thinking behind opening with 'charity' and closing with 'monalisa, we miss you'? The tracks feel like bookends and it’s so beautiful. How did those tracks shape the flow of the EP?

I've always loved how opening tracks set a tone and paint the sonic world, and I wanted to make something that felt cathartic and ambient because that's the kind of stuff I like. “mona lisa, we miss you” was also a great closer where it was soft, and not only did it hit hard, but it was colorful and sounded like a goodbye.

'Too many jocks turned rockstar' is one of my favorites on the project, and it feels like this powerful reclamation of punk. Let's talk about the story behind that song and where the inspiration came from.

I had the most hand in the production of this project that I've had in anything else, where I got to really touch things and build things from the ground up because I had to give myself time to learn how to do shit and be a musician. “too many jocks turned rockstar” sounds like music that I've always loved and what I've always wanted to make, but I had felt so intimidated because I'm not classically trained in anything. That track was me sending it and trusting my taste telling me to do it. So I started with that bass line. If anyone could remember me for something, I would want it to feel very dance punk, indie rock – so that was where that kind of electronic bass part came in. It started from that electric synth, and kept building around that. I loved how complex it felt. What was really important to me was getting as much complexity as I could in this project within the time that I had. That was probably the most exciting part to me. I loved all of the guitars, all those types of pretty indie rock ,melancholic tones. And I think the inspiration was so many different things. I feel like this track, more than any of them, was definitely a big stream of consciousness. There was this thought that I had a long time ago, when I was especially in the more pop punk world, where it just felt like there were too many jocks in rock. There's just too many bros —too many people looking the part but not talking about it. Not even saying I have a place to make that observation. 

To be honest, it was half a diss track aimed at someone. It started with that and then from there I just kept thinking about it. The hook of the song, “Got your message, cleaned your blood. It's all just a lie.” This means being lied to in the industry. You know, just honestly just being in not the best situation, given what I had. And then from there I just kept feeling the same thing. I was thinking about Palestine and the war. It all kept forming into each other. I really felt so strongly about that situation and it just melded into my world. Not saying I have it hard at all, but, you know, just seeing from a certain perspective. So that was what the hook was. It was a lot of just feeling lied to, wanting revenge and trying to carry yourself with an earnest heart and being stepped on while trying to practice solitude and grace. And then it happens over and at a certain point you gotta do something about it and set a boundary.

How did you learn to strike a balance between being so raw and honest with strength and resilience?

I feel like being brave comes with a certain amount of ignorance and an amount of being daring as a person. I want to say I'm brave, but I think I just might not have a lot of boundaries. And that's what comes out as me being very open armed and being willing to have humility. I would say it's probably a combination of being brave and not having boundaries mixed into one, which probably comes out as that.

You've really made something with this project that will resonate with so many listeners with talking about grief, revenge and resilience and that soul searching journey to find your identity. Knowing how personal this project is, what do you hope people take away from it?

Honestly, I just want to give something that people can live to and I want people to have the courage to keep going and not give up and be brave enough to show the world the ugly parts as well. I hope that it can show people that it's okay to have humility. You have to have humility to get where you want to go. Not everybody's path is the same. And I hope that they can be brave enough to take the hard way out and not to be embarrassed and to find love in themselves and be proud of themselves and find strength through doing that. It would be nice for people to walk away feeling that they should have a bit more humility. And I would like for them to be able to live to it and just feel like, you know, Kenny stepped it up a bit. To feel like I could do, you know, way better. I was a bit on better terms given the time and the situation, but more than anything, it was just important that I step it up a bit and show something for myself after how long I had been gone and everything I'd been through and how much my fans were there for me.

Thank you for sharing, and it also goes to show that you're such a great ambassador for the punk scene, where being a punk is being that expressive voice for people. And through blending so many different genres and being so honest, it really shows, and it's exciting to see what's next for you. And speaking of that, any exciting things we should be on the lookout for from you?

We got a tour coming up. I'm hacking away at this next project and honestly I just never want to ever stop again. I don't want to ever have a break. I'm just looking to take over the world, honestly. Same goal I had in the first place. All I ever wanted to do was to become one of the biggest artists and really make an impact and just keep growing as a musician. So I guess we're just gonna take it day by day, crush this tour, meet the fans, have a good time.

Who are the artists that you are listening to that you feel need a little love?

There is a girl named Ayleen Valentine. I think she's super fire. I've been loving Finn Wolfhard's album so much. He's acted in Stranger Things, and he dropped this beautiful project Happy Birthday. That's honestly who I've been most stoked about. And it's probably my favorite project of the year so far.

Thanks for chatting with us!